A Comfort zone is a psychological state where things feel familiar to a person where they are at ease or at least perceive they are at ease and in control of their environment resulting in experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. 

Most of us are familiar with the term comfort zone not many will admit that we are stuck in our comfort zone. 

I reason that it would take us admitting we are stuck and need to make changes. Whether you know you are in your comfort zone or not, it is holding you back from your life purpose and your greatness. 

In this post, I am sharing three ways your comfort zone is holding you back and how to get unstuck. 

“Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained” You may have heard this saying before. No worries if you haven’t. The saying means if you don’t have new experiences, you don’t gain new perspectives.

Not Willing To Get Uncomfortable

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why Am I Not Growing?” The simple answer is you are not willing to get uncomfortable. 

You don’t want to step outside of the bubble where you feel safe.  Anytime you venture out of “your zone” and feel uncomfortable, you stop and return to “your zone.”

To get to the next level, you need to open your mind and perspective. If you want something new like, finding your purpose or following your dreams, you must find ways to experience new things. 

These things could be developing your current skills, acquiring new skills, expanding your knowledge, and gaining new knowledge. You should also begin to form new habits because the habits you have are not getting you to where you want to be. 

Growth requires you to part ways with the old version of yourself to allow space for the new version. 

Mindset

We all have a mindset. Our mindset can keep us stuck or help us grow (stay in our comfort zone). 

A fixed mindset keeps us stuck because it essentially keeps us in the mind of it is what it is. With a fixed mindset, there is no room for change or growth. 

Fixed mindset individuals do not have that spark that ignites change. 

Your comfort zone keeps you in a fixed mindset while great opportunities and your life purpose pass by. 

Achieving your goals and finding your life purpose requires you to adopt a growth mindset. 

Changing Your Mindset

You want to change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Changing your mindset takes place immediately once you decide to make the change. 

With a growth mindset, you believe things can change. There is always room for improvement. A growth mindset allows you to overcome and conquer the limiting beliefs holding you back. 

A growth mindset enables you to look for ways to learn and expand your knowledge and see things from a different perspective. 

You have to believe you want to change. You have to want to make a difference in your life, and your goal(s) are the fuel to facilitate the change. 

In the words of one of my favorite Tik Toks, “You thinking Small, It’s Time To Think Big B****.”

Fear

 Fear for us can take many forms. We fear the unknown, uncertainty, change, and even success. 

We experience fear because the thing(s) we want is outside our comfort zone, and we have no idea what the change will bring. 

Little do we know, the fear is unwarranted and an illusion. Here is why:

We experience change every day even though we do not see it as change. Every day we wake up,  there is a change in our lives. No day is the same as the day before. 

We fear failure because we learn that we must be great at everything, and the minute we fail, we learn we are no longer perfect at everything. 

Let me let you in on a little secret. Perfect does not exist. No one can expect you to be great at something if they have never done it. Every time you fail at something, you learn lessons as to how to become better.

Most people feel it's easier to stay in their comfort zone instead of taking chances and learning lessons.

Overcoming Fear

To overcome your fear, stop overthinking. 

Fear is the result of us wanting to make a change.  We begin to fear the outcome because the result is unknown, and our subconscious mind’s job is to protect us from the unknown.

Another way of overcoming fear is to become excited. Instead of saying  “I am afraid of what will happen.” change your thoughts to “I am excited to see the results.” Changing your perspective allows you to ease your overthinking and become comfortable with not always knowing the outcome.

As someone who overthought everything.  Changing my perspective was a factor in easing my fear of the unknown and stepping out of my comfort zone. Was it something that happened overnight for me? No, it was a series of small steps leading up to the big step of demolishing my comfort zone. 

Now when someone like my coach suggests something I have not done or would have been uncomfortable doing, I am no longer bothered because I know greatness is on the other side. 

We Lack Action

We know things need to change. We want something new but never make the changes or make the moves. We don’t make the changes is that we do not take action. 

Not taking action is a result of your fixed mindset and overthinking. You’re unsure how taking action is going to change the outcome. 

Truth be told, if you took one action step, you would see there is nothing to fear. You can make the changes you want to see with great outcomes. 

Most of us get stuck in the planning stage.  We have to plan every detail before we can take one step. 

While planning is an action, it doesn’t generate results if you do not take steps. 

Begin With One Step

In life, we don’t always know what is around the next corner that doesn’t stop us from getting up every day and working for someone else.

Why should it stop you from living your life’s purpose? You have to take a step to get the momentum to keep going. The important step is the first one. 

Get clear on your goal/life purpose. Have a destination in mind. Remember, you don’t always need to know the route you will take. Believe you will make it to the destination. 

Your first step may be researching. so you have a better idea of your niche or the skills you will need to be successful. 

Once you figure it out, move on to the next step. Do you need additional training or courses? Invest in the training and courses. Don’t think of it as spending money. Think of it as making an investment in yourself that will pay off later. 

We all have comfort zones but we do not have to let them control of lives and keep us from finding and living in our purpose. It's time that we take control of our lives and live the way we were meant to live.